Football: Bryant lifts Falmouth past Westbrook

FALMOUTH — Quarterback Jack Bryant threw for four touchdowns, and third-seeded Falmouth quickly recovered from a slow start to roll to a 48-8 win against No. 6 Westbrook in a Class B South football quarterfinal Friday night.

The Yachtsmen (7-2) advance to play second-seeded Kennebunk in a regional semifinal next Friday.

“We didn’t have the intensity that I wanted at the beginning of the game,” Falmouth Coach John Fitzsimmons said. “To the credit of Westbrook, they came ready to play.”

“(Westbrook) came out with a lot of fire, and we weren’t ready for it,” Falmouth linebacker Coleman Allen said.

But Allen got his team fired up when he opened the scoring five minutes into the game by returning a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown.

“It was a great feeling carrying the ball,” said Allen, a junior who now plays on the offensive line after playing the backfield as a freshman. “It happens so fast.”

Once the Yachtsmen got rolling it was hard to stop them. They cashed in on Westbrook’s mistakes to build a 21-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game.

With 1:37 left in the first quarter, Riley Reid ran 43 yards down the right sideline for a score after receiving a swing pass from Bryant.

Twenty seconds later, Bryant went 6 yards on the first play after Allen recovered another fumble.

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Falmouth took a 28-0 lead when Bryant threw a 39-yard scoring strike downfield to a wide-open Emilio Micucci.

With 6:34 left in the first half, Bryant pushed it to 35-0 when he threw 31 yards down the middle of the field to Brady Douglas for a touchdown five plays after the Blazes gave up the ball on downs.

“Falmouth is a very good team, (and) they took advantage of all of our miscues,” Westbrook Coach Jeff Guerette said. “We knew we had to play very well to beat a team like this.”

Because of the size of Falmouth’s lead, the entire second half was played with running time.

Garret Aube made it 42-0 when he ran 72 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half. He rushed for 114 yards on four carries.

Bryant then threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Sam Kidder to cap a three-play, 60-yard drive following a punt.

“We like to throw the ball around,” said Bryant, who completed five of nine passes for 154 yards. “(Westbrook) had a lot of players in the (defensive) box, so we went over the top.”

The Blazes (4-5) avoided a shutout when Demante Loureiro scored on an 18-yard run to cap a four-play, 53-yard scoring drive.

“I was very proud of my kids tonight,” Guerette said. “Multiple times they could have folded, but that’s the spirit of these guys. Ultimately, they play for each other and the community.”

Here at MaineToday Media we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion.

To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use. Click here to flag and report a comment that violates our terms of use.